Washington needs a realistic energy policy

Published: Friday, March 15, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

Russia had been exporting vast amounts of gas to more than 15 European countries. In 2009 Russia cut off gas shipments, via the Ukraine Pipeline, amid a price and payment dispute, thus holding those countries hostage to its whims. Russia is charging $10 per unit while the same quantity is priced at $3 in the U.S. Thus, Russia can no longer dominate the natural gas market. Plus it removes a Russian hammer over the 15 European countries and puts the U.S. in position for an enormous export of gas, which improves our political position with those countries and gives us a terrific export advantage (more money into the national coffers).

Next, the U.S. has more than 200 years of coal readily available. The Obama administration, thru the EPA rules, is killing towns where coal is the only available occupation — literally wiping out entire communities and closing down sorely needed power plants all over the country, while China is bringing online 28 coal-fueled power plants per year.

“Clean air, clean air,” the EPA spouts. Do they think the air stays in one stagnant mass throughout the world? However, there are ways in which we can keep clean air without losing jobs, destroying lives and creating ghost towns.

Obama states that we are pumping more oil than ever before. True, on private property in the Dakotas, where unemployment is at 3 percent. By government survey, within the continental U.S. we have more than 2,041 years of oil at the present consumption rate. That’s more than all of OPEC combined. That doesn’t even count offshore drilling. Yet our government refuses to permit exploration on public (read: we the people’s land), thus forcing us to pay billions to OPEC for foreign oil. This, of course, decreases public coffers (read: our tax money) while filling the coffers of countries that hate us. Therefore, by our own folly we are financing terrorism against our own country.

Imagine the well-paying jobs that would be created, energy independence we would achieve, the additional taxes developed, improved financial status and our political position within the world. But what has our government done?

Russia had been exporting vast amounts of gas to more than 15 European countries. In 2009 Russia cut off gas shipments, via the Ukraine Pipeline, amid a price and payment dispute, thus holding those countries hostage to its whims. Russia is charging $10 per unit while the same quantity is priced at $3 in the U.S. Thus, Russia can no longer dominate the natural gas market. Plus it removes a Russian hammer over the 15 European countries and puts the U.S. in position for an enormous export of gas, which improves our political position with those countries and gives us a terrific export advantage (more money into the national coffers).

Next, the U.S. has more than 200 years of coal readily available. The Obama administration, thru the EPA rules, is killing towns where coal is the only available occupation — literally wiping out entire communities and closing down sorely needed power plants all over the country, while China is bringing online 28 coal-fueled power plants per year.

“Clean air, clean air,” the EPA spouts. Do they think the air stays in one stagnant mass throughout the world? However, there are ways in which we can keep clean air without losing jobs, destroying lives and creating ghost towns.

Obama states that we are pumping more oil than ever before. True, on private property in the Dakotas, where unemployment is at 3 percent. By government survey, within the continental U.S. we have more than 2,041 years of oil at the present consumption rate. That’s more than all of OPEC combined. That doesn’t even count offshore drilling. Yet our government refuses to permit exploration on public (read: we the people’s land), thus forcing us to pay billions to OPEC for foreign oil. This, of course, decreases public coffers (read: our tax money) while filling the coffers of countries that hate us. Therefore, by our own folly we are financing terrorism against our own country.

Imagine the well-paying jobs that would be created, energy independence we would achieve, the additional taxes developed, improved financial status and our political position within the world. But what has our government done?

3. Put a moratorium on offshore (Gulf) drilling. More high-paying jobs lost. We could within a few years become energy independent by exporting instead of importing oil, gas and coal. We could have a booming economy that creates millions of high-paying jobs and be paying down instead of increasing our national debt.

4. Ethanol, which has extreme side effects, would no longer be needed. We could get back to raising corn for both human and animal consumption, thus reducing the high price of food.

5. Many oil-based products would be significantly reduced in cost.

6. Due to the expense of EPA regulations, no new refinery has been built in this country in nearly 40 years. Yet India is building the largest in the world. What will we do, ship our oil to India (thus losing more jobs) to get it refined?

Lastly, we need to hold Congress’ feet to the fire. Put a muzzle on the EPA, which rules by executive fiat. Get a president who believes in and is willing to work for the people of this country instead of a group of elitist ideologues.